Lawmaker Shopping Bill To Curb DeWine's Power With Public Health Orders

A group of doctors, medical professionals and their supporters held a demonstration at the Statehouse Sunday, a day after protestors showed up outside the home of Dr. Amy Acton. Some were said to have been armed.

A group of doctors, medical professionals and their supporters held a demonstration at the Statehouse Sunday, a day after protestors showed up outside the home of Dr. Amy Acton. Some were said to have been armed.

A group of doctors, medical professionals and their supporters held a demonstration at the Statehouse Sunday, a day after protestors showed up outside the home of Dr. Amy Acton. Some were said to have been armed.

Daniel Konik

Manufacturing, construction and distribution companies can reopen today, with employees wearing masks and observing cleaning and social distancing rules. State lawmakers are also coming back to work this week, and one has proposed a bill to open the state immediately while shutting down the authority of the governor and his health director.

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This weekend, the state confirmed 957 confirmed deaths – 18 new Saturday and 17 new Sunday, totaling 35 new confirmed deaths. The state reported a cumulative total of 1,038 deaths on Sunday, with 19,094 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Conservative Rep. John Becker (R-Union Township) said the bill that he's proposing would strip power that he said Gov. Mike DeWine is abusing and would require lawmakers’ approval to make public health orders mandatory.

Becker says he understood the initial intent – to make sure the health care system wasn’t overwhelmed with COVID-19.

“That made sense to me," Becker said. "Now, without regard to that, does the governor have the authority to suspend civil liberties, violate the constitution, both federal, state and the Ohio Revised Code? Well, the answer is no to all of that."

Becker said he doesn’t blame Dr. Amy Acton, but that his bill would give lawmakers a say in the orders that she’s signing.

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"Assuming the leadership would want to support it, which I don't see happening, then these things could be fast tracked through," Becker said. "My constituents, there are voices across Ohio are demanding that we get Ohio back to work and to stop the madness and the General Assembly needs to do something. Well, as a legislator, there's one thing I can do and that's write a bill."

Becker has three conservative Republicans signed on to cosponsor his bill - Reps. Candice Keller (R-Middletown), Scott Wiggam (R-Wooster) and Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario).

But he doesn’t expect it to get far, though Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) has said he’s had concerns about small businesses being ordered to shut down while big businesses have stayed open. Becker said he hasn't talked to Householder about the bill.

Dentists can resume office procedures on Friday, after being shut down last month to preserve personal protective equipment for health care workers fighting COVID-19. But some dental employees say they have serious reservations about whether there will be enough PPE to protect them as they see patients.

Gov. Mike DeWine is facing criticism for his reversal on face masks, the state is no longer mandating customers wear face coverings when they go to stores. And while it's been downgraded to a recommendation, DeWine says he's confident people will wear masks.